Digital Sustainability Innovation Hubs and Accelerators
Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are critical catalysts for local economic transformation, acting as bridge-builders between SMEs, technology providers, academia, and corporations. However, these hubs often face significant hurdles when developed in isolation—from initial conceptualization and funding to connecting with the right actors. The result is a fragmented landscape where powerful solutions struggle to scale.
Impact Initiative 7 addresses this challenge by building a global, low-threshold network to connect these vital ecosystems. The core implementation of this network is driven by the Digital and Green Innovation (DGI) Action, a Team Europe Initiative that convenes a series of Stakeholder Events across Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
These events are structured dialogues designed to build sustainable ecosystems through a proven methodology. In each region shared challenges and opportunities were identified during Stakeholder Launch events, which brought together policymakers, innovators, and entrepreneurship support organizations. From these initial discussions, collaborative Workstreams were formed to co-develop tangible solutions on topics like open data, regulatory sandboxes, and green finance. Both in South-East Asia and Africa establishing a network of digital and green innovation hubs was identified as a major workstream. These regional processes culminate in Digital & Green Innovation Summits, where progress is showcased and partnerships are solidified.
We invite members of the CODES community—from successful hub managers to policymakers and private sector innovators—to contribute to this network. Share your expertise, join our regional dialogues, and help us shape the policy frameworks and collaborative platforms that enable green digital solutions to scale globally.
Impact Initiative 7 addresses this challenge by building a global, low-threshold network to connect these vital ecosystems. The core implementation of this network is driven by the Digital and Green Innovation (DGI) Action, a Team Europe Initiative that convenes a series of Stakeholder Events across Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
These events are structured dialogues designed to build sustainable ecosystems through a proven methodology. In each region shared challenges and opportunities were identified during Stakeholder Launch events, which brought together policymakers, innovators, and entrepreneurship support organizations. From these initial discussions, collaborative Workstreams were formed to co-develop tangible solutions on topics like open data, regulatory sandboxes, and green finance. Both in South-East Asia and Africa establishing a network of digital and green innovation hubs was identified as a major workstream. These regional processes culminate in Digital & Green Innovation Summits, where progress is showcased and partnerships are solidified.
We invite members of the CODES community—from successful hub managers to policymakers and private sector innovators—to contribute to this network. Share your expertise, join our regional dialogues, and help us shape the policy frameworks and collaborative platforms that enable green digital solutions to scale globally.
Further work streams:
- Carbon markets as a business model fordigital innovators (Africa);
- Establishing a federated, interoperable, openenvironmental data space (Asia-Pacific);
- Open-source solutions with Earth Observationdata as a source of innovation for environmental technologies (Latin-America& Caribbean, Asia-Pacific).
Participation and contact:
Add your Digital and Green Innovation initiative or hub through this form.
Please write to Moritz.zimmermann@giz.de under the subject “subscribe to CODES Impact Initiative 7 ‘Digital Sustainability Innovation Hubs” to get informed on next steps and stakeholder events.
Please write to Moritz.zimmermann@giz.de under the subject “subscribe to CODES Impact Initiative 7 ‘Digital Sustainability Innovation Hubs” to get informed on next steps and stakeholder events.
About the Team Europe Action:
The Digital and Green Innovation Action (DGI) is a global initiative designed to accelerate the twin transition in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific. Bringing together the resources and expertise of the EU and several of its Member States in a Team Europe spirit, DGI offers tailored support to innovators, facilitates multi-stakeholder policy dialogues, and organises targeted finance matchmaking events and advisory to foster collaboration and investment. More: Digital and Green Innovation Action
